The New Me
by Alex Antidote
Summary: Tavros must introduce himself as a cripple to Gamzee.  May become a series of one-shots pertaining to this ship / Redrom if you squint
1. Chapter 1

He looked down at his hands. They gripped his useless knees. This was the first time they would see each other while he was like this, and it made his heartgut hurt.

"Tavros, brother, what are you motherfucking doin', sittin' in that four-wheel device?" The relaxed voice of his friend becomes louder, nearer. There is no effort in his gait, nothing useless about him.

"I, uh, Gamzee, I…" Why can't he just come out with it? Unable to meet his closest bro's gaze, Tavros pinches his knee, no pain being registered.

"Tavros?" The other troll sounds confused, making him shut his eyes tightly. Only imagining the facial expression sends an ache through him. "Bro, don't cry. Come on, get up and come inside."

"Gamzee, I, uh, I can't…" _get up_. The words die on his lips, a tooth piercing their soft skin.

"And why the fuck not, motherfucker?" Gamzee doesn't sound irritated, just more confused than five seconds ago. He feels his friend lean down, feels the sopor-scented breath on his cheek, feels the sharp nail on his face. "Bro? Why the fuck not?"

"Be-Because…Gamzee, I…I can't…w-walk…" He finally whispered, digging his finger nails into his knees, thinking of the irony of good luck because he can't feel the pain.

"The fuck you can, bro. Get the fuck up and get yourself in here. This ain't funny, Tav. You know I don't like it when trolls lie."

Finally, he opened his eyes, tears blurring his vision. Gamzee didn't believe him! In fact, the indigo-blooded troll looked_ angry_ at him. "Gamzee, I'm…I'm not, uh, lying! I…I can't…get up…I can't…I can't walk... H-Haven't, haven't you heard?"

"What?" He looked at him, his eyes clouded.

"Stop acting stupid, Gamzee!" Tavros shouted, wheeling himself backwards. "I…I, uh, I can't walk! I, I can't swim, o-or, or dance, or FLARP, or, uh, g-go for walks with you, or, or, or do ANYTHING fun, anymore!"

A silence enveloped them, Tavros keeping himself only on the edge of tears. Gamzee stood up straight, staring off to who-knows-where. The silence turned uncomfortable fast, the lowblood fidgeting where he sat, biting and wearing out his lips.

Finally, not being able to take it anymore, he spoke up, "Gamzee…uh, s-say, say something."

"I'll wheel you in, motherfucker," he said quietly, walking around Tavros to push him into his hive. Tavros's eyes went wide, his hands immediately going out to grip the wheels.

"W-wait, uh, Gamzee!"

"Why?" The troll stopped, keeping his voice unusually even. "You're the same motherfucking troll you've always been. My best motherfucking bro. I don't see no problem. I didn't enjoy doing any of those motherfucking things anyway."

"Uh, n-not even..going f-for walks?" Tavros tried to look up, back at him. He saw a smile spreading across his friend's face.

"I'll just push you. Or you can motherfucking push yourself. We're both strong." With that, the highblood continued to push him in, starting on a subject that was much more familiar than this. Tavros didn't mind much, for it allowed him to be alone with his thoughts.

Gamzee didn't care what he could do. Didn't care if he was useless. He even called him strong. No wonder they were bros.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a while since you two had seen each other. Sure, in your bubble with a doomed Dave you talked about him plenty. Dave always sounded interested when you brought up the subject of Gamzee, and, with time, you two became very comfortable with each other. Enough to talk about more private and personal feelings.

"Y-yeah, and then he…he brought up the subject of make-outs…" You whispered. Dave lay on the ground next to the couch you were resting on. Decency had long gone out the window and he wore only a pair of boxer shorts.

"Don't tell you freaked the fuck out, Tav."

"If…If I didn't tell you that part, then I-I would be a liar…" Shifting on your side, you look at him. His sunglasses are tilted higher up, pushing his bangs up a bit. "But, uh, yeah. I did 'freak the fuck out', a-as you put it, Dave."

"I don't see why. He seemed pretty interested in being your matespirit or whatever you aliens call it. Your whole romance thing is so weird, you know. It should be simple, just like us humans, but what can you do, right?" Dave seemed to laugh at himself. "We don't need kimfishes or mawrails or auspits or whatever all that shit and mirrors are, gog. So obnoxious."

"Y-You okay, Dave? You always seem t-to rant when we talk about my quadrants." _Empty quadrants_, you remind yourself.

"I don't rant," he muttered more to himself than you. Before he could say anything else, there was a strange shudder all across the bubble and the apartment you two were in. "What was that, Tav?" He sat up, quickly grabbing the shirt that was on the ground.

"H-How am I-I supposed t-to know?" You ask as you stand from the couch, kicking a pair of pants to the human boy. "S-Should… should we check it out?" Sure, there was fear bubbling up inside your stomach, but what kind of coward would Dave look at you as if you didn't at least suggest that?

All of a sudden, someone kicked in the door and the human behind you gasped along with the new intruder.

It was another Dave.

Boy, this was awkward.

"What the fuck?" They both said at the same time. You couldn't help yourself, you laughed at that.

Karkat and Terezi came bustling in right behind the human in their usual loud manner. They seemed…alive!

"K-Karkat? T-Terezi? You guys… survived?" You exclaimed, moving forward to look at them even closer. The Dave had stepped off to the side to look at each other (how narcissistic, you briefly thought).

"Of fucking course we are you dipshit of turdland! Why else would our eyes still be this FUCKING yellow and clearly not that ghostly milky colour?" He yelled at you right away. Same old Karkat, you surmised. Somehow, you even missed that yellow.

"But how are you…how are you all here? Who else…?" There was, of course, one specific person you wanted to ask about, but that would be too obvious.

"Our travels, Tavros, somehow brought us through many dreambubbles," Terezi answered, before immediately becoming distracted by the Daves.

"I fucking wish there was less annoying dumbasses on this forsaken ship of dump with me, especially the ones wasting my time and precious fucking air. Kanaya and Rose remain onboard because they're doing some stupid ass studies or wasting time reading some fucking boring books or whatever. We don't really know where Gam-"

"Gamzee's…alive!" You gasp out.

"We don't really know where he is," Karkat says again, louder this time by the sudden yells coming from the other side of the room. "Hey, stupid asses, what the fuck do you all think you're- AH FUCK, TEREZI CUT THAT SHIT OUT!"

While the friendleader was distracted, you take the this opportunity to go the door. There was no one else out here. "G-Gamzee?" You yell out, hoping against hope that maybe…just maybe…

"Someone call for a motherfuc- Tav?" In a mighty visage of purple and sprinkles, a cod-piece-wearing fairy who looked like Gamzee descended from the sky. He fell on his butt the second he saw you, appearing to lose function of his wings.

"Tavros, brother, is that really you?" The clown looked up from his spot on the ground.

"W-Well…I-I'm…I'm dead?" You offer a hand to him, trying to crack a smile at him. After being here with doomed Dave for so long, you've actually gained a bit of your old confidence back.

Gamzee gratefully took your hand, pulling himself up; the only bad thing about was now he was two inches away from your face. "But it's really fucking you…" You see his wide eyes fill with purple liquid.

"Oh, no, uh, don't cry, Gamzee… Please, don't," you plead with him. He touches your face; you almost flinch away, but somehow, it doesn't bother you like it used to.

"I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY TO SEE YOU," he yells before grabbing you into a body crushing hug.

"I-I'm…really happy to see you, too," you mumble into his shoulder, your voice giving way to tears.


End file.
